Hands Touch, Eyes Meet
by lotusmelody17
Summary: Maia, a new Exorcist from Japan, is on her way to the Black Order. But what happens when she meets Kanda and literally falls into his arms? Takes place at the beginning of the "Ghost of Mater" arc.
1. Fate

**Hola! Thank you for visiting my story! Yeah, so I suck at summaries, so all the cool information will be here, in my intro. This takes place at the beginning of the "Ghost of Mater" arc, and will follow from there. Maia is my OC, and so is General Tsing. A million and one thanks to my beta readers Elizabeth, Loz, Sarah, Casey, and Rosie. Well, enjoy the story! Oh, before I forget, Maia's name is pronounced like the name Maya, but hers is the French spelling. THIS DOES NOT MEAN THAT MAIA IS FRENCH! Thank you, bye! I do not own -Man or any of Katsura Hoshino's work. However, I do own Maia and General Tsing.**

_Some people don't believe in the concept of true love. They scoff at the idea of two people being connected through an unspoken bond. But there was once a love bonded by the power of Innocence. A love so strong and pure that neither death nor darkness could stop it. A love that fought against the odds and thrived, like a lotus flower growing from the mud. This is the story of two Exorcists, whose love will live forever._

The sun glared down on the train station, dust motes swirling in the golden rays. Sunlight streamed onto the heads and hats of the crowd, as their voices rose in unison to create a senseless clamor. Amidst the crowded station, a young girl sat on a bench reading a letter. She was petite, with short, choppy blonde hair and blue-green eyes. She was wearing a gray sweater and a white dress with blue stars on it. Next to her, she had a black suitcase with the name "Maia" written on it.

Maia reread the letter for the eighth time.

"_Dear Maia,_

_On request by your deceased master, General Yuri Tsing, you are assigned to the Black Order Headquarters to perform your duties as an Exorcist. When you arrive at the Order, state that you were referred there by General Tsing. If they need any proof, show them General Tsing's anti-akuma weapon. She also sent the Head Officer there, Komui, a letter of referral. To reach the Order, take a ship from Osaka to Hong Kong. From there, take a train straight to Headquarters. Don't worry about travel costs: the Order will take care of them. Good luck!_

_Sincerely,_

_Asian Branch Head Bak._

Maia leaned back on the bench and sighed. This trip had taken two weeks, and now, she was only a couple of hours away from her destination. She had to change trains in Mater, and then she would finally be at the Black Order. Maia touched the two Japanese hand fans in her sweater pocket, fingering the Rose Cross engraved on the handles. These were Maia's anti-akuma weapons, Fanfare. In their normal (inactivated) mode, they were normal sized, and made out of mahogany wood with silver silk. Activated, they grew to the length of Maia's arms, and the silk turned to razor sharp blades. They could slice through anything, she could throw them like boomerangs, and they could release purple energy rays.

The fans brought back memories of her training with the General. Six years of becoming accustomed to her weapons, practicing with them until Fanfare responded to a single word or flick of her wrist. Although it had only been two weeks, Japan and her training felt years away. Well, that was in the past. All that mattered now was moving forward.

"The last train from Mater leaves in 5 minutes! All passengers must board immediately!" blared an announcement over the crowd. "Crap!" Maia said, grabbing her suitcase and hurrying into the crowd. She ran, dodging people as fast as she could, trying not to miss her train. While Maia was running through the crowd, two men wearing black coats with the same Rose Cross symbol as Fanfare stepped off the train, accompanied by a man wearing a gray trench coat with bandages over his mouth. "Almost there," Maia though, grinning to herself as the train came in sight, about 10 feet away from her. She could hear the steam hissing from the train, and someone calling for something named Timcanpy.

There is a legend which says that fate takes the form of a red thread. At birth, two people are connected by this thread, and they are drawn closer and closer until one day, they meet. Another legend says that fate is written in the stars, our lives predestined by sparkling globes in the night sky. Others believe that our fate is controlled by three crones with string and scissors. There are many legends and stories about fate and what form it takes. In this case, Maia's fate appeared in the form of a little yellow golem.

Maia finally broke free from the crowd, the train doors plainly within her sight. An announcement came on again, saying that the train would leave in less than two minutes. Breaking into a sprint, Maia tightened the grip on her suitcase and ran. Just as she was a few feet away from the door, Maia felt something small wrap around her ankle and trip her mid-step. "Double crap!" she thought as she closed her eyes and flung out her arms to break her fall.

Suddenly, before she fell, Maia felt somebody catch her around the waist and prevent her from hitting the ground. Opening her eyes, Maia saw that she was only a foot away from the floor. Twisting her head around, Maia saw the person who had saved her. A handsome Japanese man looked down at her with surprise, as if he were shocked that he had saved her. His face was framed by long, midnight blue bangs, and the rest of his hair was gathered in a ponytail. His eyes were a dark cobalt, and he looked to be about 18, although he gave off an aura which made him seem much older. As they stared into each other's eyes, Maia felt her heart skip a beat, although it was probably just the shock of being caught so quickly.

"Thank you very much," said Maia, grinning at the man staring down at her. An angry look appeared in his eyes, and he set her roughly on her feet. "Why don't you watch where you're going?" the man asked irritably. Maia was taken aback. Didn't he just help her? Then what was he getting so mad for? Well, she thought, two can play at that game. Annoyance at the man quickly set in. "Hey, jerkwad, I _was_ watching where I was going, but something tripped me up, so it wasn't my fault. And by the way, who spit in your Luck Charms this morning?" Maia retorted. The two glared at each other for a few more seconds, and then he said "Che," and walked away.

"What an ass," Maia muttered as she picked up her suitcase and stormed off toward the train. As she reached the door, Maia felt someone tap her on the shoulder. "WHAT?" Maia snapped, turning around to see what idiot had decided to bother her now. A young boy with white hair and a red scar over his left eye stood in front of her, wearing the same coat that the other guy had worn. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bother you, but are these yours?" asked the boy, holding out Maia's fans. "Oh, thank you!" said Maia, relief flooding through her veins as she took Fanfare from the boy, "They must have fallen out of my pocket when I fell. Hey, I'm sorry for yelling at you. Some jerk pissed me off just now, so I'm not in the greatest of moods." The boy grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, about that…I'm sorry about my travel partner. It's nothing against you, personally, he's like that to everyone." he said. "Well, if I ever see him again, he's getting a kick in the face, I'll tell you that." said Maia, checking her fans to see if they had gotten damaged. At that moment, the boy noticed the Rose Cross marked on the handles of the fans. Was she an Exorcist? No, she couldn't be, she wasn't wearing the Black Order coat. But then why was the Rose Cross on those fans?

"Are you-?" the boy began, pointing at the fans. "ALL ABOARD!" yelled the train conductor as steam whistled from the train's engine. "Sorry, gotta go!" said Maia, putting Fanfare securely in her pocket, "Thanks again for the fans. It was nice meeting you!" And with that, Maia boarded the train and closed the door behind her, leaving Allen standing alone on the station platform. "What a strange girl. Do _you_ think that she was an Exorcist, Tim?" said Allen as Timcanpy landed on his head. Timcanpy shrugged his wings and tapped Allen on the nose with his tail. "Yeah, I guess you're right." Allen laughed. "Come on, moyashi!" yelled Kanda impatiently, standing at the exit of the station with their finder, Tomah. "How many times do I have to tell you, my name's Allen!" Allen yelled back as he walked over to Kanda and Tomah.

They walked out of the train station, their 7-foot tall shadows trailing behind them in the golden light of the setting sun. As they walked towards the abandoned city of Mater, Kanda spoke. "Listen, moyashi, before we get to Mater, there's something you need to know. I'm not your friend. If you get yourself hurt or put yourself in danger on the mission, I'm not coming in to save your ass. You're on your own out there. I don't stick my neck out for anyone." Beside him, Allen snickered into his palm, trying to hold the laugh in. Kanda turned and glared at Allen. "You think that's funny?" he snarled. "No, not at all!" Allen said, with a sly grin on his face, "It's just that…you seemed very friendly back there when you helped that girl." "Che," Kanda said, anger clouding his vision as he remembered stepping in to catch the blonde girl before she fell. He didn't know why he had done it; catching her was just a reflex. He didn't want anything to do with her afterwards, which was why he was so mean to her. Kanda felt a slight pang of guilt, however, when he remembered the hurt look in the girl's eyes. Well, what was he supposed to do? You start doing things like that, helping people, and then they all start thinking that you'll save them on a mission or solve their problems for them. No, it was better to put her out of his mind. She was just one of the many annoying people out there that he (unfortunately) had to deal with in his life.

Although (and this was the part that puzzled Kanda), something felt different about her. When he had caught the girl and looked into her eyes, it had felt…right. Like he was meant to have caught her. Like it was fate…

Kanda gave his head a little shake and pushed all thoughts about the blonde girl out of his head. All that mattered now was going to the abandoned city, collecting the Innocence, and leaving. He didn't give a damn about that girl or her feelings. Why should he worry about her feelings, anyway? It's not like he was ever going to see her again…

Maia sighed as she leaned back into the soft red upholstery of the seat cushions. As soon as she had boarded the train, all she had to do was show the conductor the Rose Cross on Fanfare, and he had immediately ushered her into her own first class compartment, along with a blanket and a cup of hot chocolate. The Black Order hadn't lied when they said that they would take care of her traveling arrangements and expenses! Maia slouched down further in the seat, putting her feet up on the empty seat in front of her. She took a sip of hot chocolate, feeling the rich liquid coat her tongue in a silky warmth. Maia leaned her head against the window, watching as the setting sun bathed the countryside in its last sunny rays, setting the world on fire with its molten gold flames. As Maia stared out the window, she couldn't help her thoughts straying back to the train station, where that jerk had saved her, and then yelled at her for tripping. What was his problem? The white-haired boy had told her that he treated everyone like that, but why? Maybe he was just born a jerk. A memory of General Tsing popped into her head just then. "Always remember, Maia, to never judge a person's character until you've walked a mile in their shoes. You don't know what their past was like, or what they've been through." "Yeah, you also said something about seeing a person's character after the first impression that they make." Maia muttered. She winced, almost feeling the smack upside the head that she would have gotten if the General was there.

Maia opened her suitcase and took out the General's anti-akuma weapon. In its normal form, it was a plain bracelet made of polished ebony wood with a silver clasp. Activated, the bracelet turned into a 7-foot tall scythe, capable of controlling and using the Earth element. Maia remembered the bracelet always being on the General's slender wrist, whether she was cooking dinner, smacking Maia upside the head when Maia talked back to her, or stroking Maia's hair back when she had a nightmare. The General had also worn another bracelet constantly, one made out of dark cobalt beads. The exact same shade as the stranger's eyes when he stared into her blue-green ones. His dark, captivating eyes…

What the hell? Why was she thinking about his eyes? Why was she thinking about him at all? Maia didn't _want_ to think about him. He was just some jerk that she (unfortunately) had had to deal with in her life.

Although (and this was the part that puzzled Maia), something felt different about him. When she tripped and fell into his arms, and when he had looked into her eyes, it had felt…right. Like she was meant to have tripped and been caught by him. Like it was fate…

Maia gave her head a little shake and pushed all thoughts of the long-haired man with the dark cobalt eyes out of her head. All that mattered now was reaching the Black Order Headquarters and officially becoming an Exorcist. She didn't give a damn about the jerkwad or the fact that he had saved her. Why should she worry about him anyway? It's not like she was ever going to see him again…

**Well? You like? Please leave a review if you did, with nice comments and constructive criticism, if you have any. NO FLAMES.**


	2. Starting Today, You are an Exorcist!

**Hello, everyone! Thanks to the people who reviewed me, both of you get a cupcake! Just kidding, I don't have a cupcake for you. So, this chapter is basically fluff, but it's amusing fluff, so please don't hate me! After this chapter, it gets MUCH more interesting, I promise. Once again, I do not own -Man or Black Star from Soul Eater (don't worry, he doesn, just Maia and General Tsing.**

The Black Order sits atop a large cliff, keeping unwanted outsiders out by looking spooky and formidable. The Order is surrounded by black flags emblazoned with the silver Rose Cross, and tiny, bat-like golems fluttering around it. This is the building where Innocence is housed, and where Exorcists, Finders, and scientists make their home. Tonight, all is peaceful. Well, except for one little thing.

"Who the hell decided to put Headquarters up here?" Maia panted angrily as she climbed up the cliff, stabbing her fans into the rock to get a better support while climbing. She looked up, and thank God, she was only a few feet from the top. Maia scrambled up the rocky cliff, and pulled herself onto the ledge with exhausted arms. She lay on the ground, gasping for breath, as she stared up at the night sky dotted with stars and fluttering golems. Finally, Maia stood up, patted the rock dust and dirt off her dress, made sure that Fanfare and General Tsing's weapon were in her sweater pockets, and set off down the path lined with Black Order flags. She had been unable to carry her suitcase up the cliff, so Maia had left it hidden in some bushes at the base of it. As Maia walked down the path, one of the golem's flew down and started hovering in front of her face, flapping its wings at an alarming rate. "Hello, there." Maia said cheerfully, holding out her finger to stroke the golem. The golem's eye began to glow red, flew around Maia's head a few times, and then flew off towards the Order. "O-kay then?" she said, said continuing towards the main entrance.

At that moment, the Science Division, Lenalee, and Komui were huddled around a projection in the Science Section. The projection showed a close-up of Maia's face, and then showed her walking towards the Order. "Another new-comer?" said Section Leader Reever Wenham as he squinted at Maia's projection. "Two exorcists in two days? It can't be! Those odds are impossible." said Komui, sipping coffee from his special pink bunny mug. As they all began to debate whether or not the girl was an Exorcist, they heard her voice through the projection.

"Hello? Is anybody there? My name is Maia, and I was referred here by General Yuri Tsing." said Maia, standing in front of the door with the giant face on it. "Do you know anything about this Komui?" said Reever. "Nope." said Komui, fiddling with the buttons on his coat sleeve. "Brother, remember what happened the last time you said that? Allen ended up nearly being killed by Kanda." said Lenalee, crossing her arms and giving Komui a "I-will-kick-you-from-here-to-China-if-you-get-her-injured-because-you-aren't-organized" look. "I'm telling you, I honestly don't know anything about this! I went through all of my mail today, and the closest I came to what she's talking about was some junk mail from somebody called Jury Bing," said Komui, "Lenalee! How can you not trust your older brother?" With that, Komui started sniffling and giving Lenalee sad puppy eyes. "Okay, well, we'll have the Gatekeeper examine the girl and see what she wants," said Reever, yawning and rubbing his eyes.

As Maia stood at the door, looking at the area around her, the giant face on the door opened its eyes and stared down at her. Maia looked up and saw the Gatekeeper looking at her. "Good evening! My name's Maia." she said pleasantly, smiling at the Gatekeeper. "Get ready for your physical examination!" the face thundered down at her. "Wha-?" said Maia, and then she was shone on with a really bright floodlight. She shielded her eyes, and saw the Gatekeeper concentrating on her and muttering, "What's going on? I can't get a reading on her." Suddenly, an alarm sounded, and the Gatekeeper bellowed "AKUMA! SHE'S AN AKUMA! A SPY FOR THE EARL! THE PENTACLES ARE ALL OVER HER BODY!" "WHAT?" Maia shrieked.

The entire Science Division was frozen. An akuma? Lenalee ran off, yelling "Don't worry! I'll deal with it!" "LENALEE!" wailed Komui as he watched his sister run away.

Maia was freaking out. Why did that Gatekeeper think that she was an akuma? Where were the pentacles on her body? She looked nothing like an akuma! Just then, Maia caught a glimpse of her dress. It was white, strapless, went a few inches over her knees, and was decorated with blue stars. Blue, five pointed stars-ohh… "Alright, akuma, show yourself." Maia looked up. A girl about her age with violet eyes, green pigtails, and thigh-high black boots that screamed "BADASS" was standing in front of her, the boots causing her to hover a few inches above the ground. "Okay, there was a misunderstanding. The Gatekeeper-thing saw the stars on my dress and thought that they were akuma pentacles. However, I am obviously not an akuma. So, if you could not kill me, that would be great." said Maia, hoping that this girl would believe her. The girl considered what Maia had said, and then deactivated her boots. "Well, if you're not an akuma, then who are you? My brother, Chief Komui, said that he never received a letter from General Tsing." said the girl. "But she did send a letter! She sent one a week befo-" Maia said, before the ebony wood bracelet in her pocket. She took it out and showed it to the pig-tailed girl. "Here. The General said that if you didn't believe me, I just had to show you this. It was her anti-akuma weapon, Leaf Blade." The girl took the bracelet from Maia and examined it, feeling the Innocence pulse weakly inside the dark wood.

"Yup, that's the General's anti-akuma weapon. But why didn't she send a letter of referral?" wondered Reever out loud. "You know," said Komui, tapping his chin, "That letter might have actually been from General Tsing. I wasn't wearing my glasses, so I couldn't see the words very well." The entire Science Division groaned, and Reever face palmed himself, saying "Why am I not surprised?"

Lenalee's golem flew out of the collar of her jacket and Komui's voice spoke from it. "Sorry about that! False alarm! It turns out that there _was_ a letter from the General, it was my mistake!" "Are you serious, Brother?" said Lenalee, exasperated. "I'm sorry! If Section Leader Reever hadn't misplaced my glasses I would have seen the letter." said Komui. "What are you blaming me for?" yelled Reever.

Lenalee turned the golem off and faced Maia. "Okay, we can trust you! I'm sorry about my brother, he can get very disorganized. This actually happened a few days ago." "It's alright," said Maia, flooded with relief. "My name's Lenalee Lee, and I'm Chief Komui's assistant. He's also my brother." said Lenalee, walking into the Order, followed by Maia. "It's very nice to meet you, Lenalee. My name's Maia." "Maia-?" Lenalee said, hinting for a last name. "Just Maia." Maia said, looking at the ground and hoping to keep it at that. Lenalee noticed the "just-leave-it-alone" tone in Maia's voice, and just said, "That's a pretty name."

As Lenalee toured Maia around the Black Order, she noticed that Maia only had that bracelet and her sweater. "Is that all you have?" Lenalee asked, concerned, pointing at the bracelet in her hand. "No, this is all I could carry with me up the cliff. I left my suitcase at the bottom." Maia said. "You actually climbed that?" Lenalee said with surprise in her voice. "Yeah, it was the only way up." Maia said. "Oh, there's actually another way up. People never seem to notice the door down there." said Lenalee. In Maia's head, the little chibi Maia that lived there was now in the process of banging her head against a brick wall, screaming the word "Fuck" over and over again. "Is that so?" Maia said calmly.

"This is your room. We'll have someone get your suitcase for you, and you can get it from my brother's office in the morning. Don't worry, he won't search it." said Lenalee, as she stopped in front of plain wooden door. "Thanks, Lenalee." said Maia. "Well, if there's anything you need, I'm right down the hall. I'll see you in the morning!" said Lenalee, walking away. "Good night." said Maia, opening the door and walking into the room.

Well, it certainly wasn't the Ritz, but it was nice. There was a bed against the wall, and a closet on the other side of the room. The floor was black-and-white tiled, and a light hung from the middle of the ceiling. A few feet away from the bed, there was a window with a desk and chair in front of it. Maia walked over to the window, and gasped. The view was beautiful! From her window, she could see the entire city, along with the night sky. Maia opened her window to let some fresh air in, and a cool breeze ruffled her slightly longer than chin-length hair. Maia put Leaf Blade and Fanfare on the desk, took off her shoes, and flopped onto the bed. Today had been a long day, and she needed to catch up on some long-need sleep. From her bed, she could see a small piece of sky from her window. The sky was a dark cobalt blue. Huh. That reminded her of somebody, that specific color…

"Damnit!" Maia said, hitting herself on the head with her palm. Stop thinking about him! Why are you thinking about that jerk, Maia? Screw him! You're never going to see him again! Maia groaned and rolled over, burying her face in her pillow, and she drifted off to sleep, dreaming of golden golems and sunsets.

Sunlight streamed in through the window, illuminating the floor with pale yellow beams. One of these beams fell across Maia's face, landing over her eyelids. Maia opened her eyes, blinking, as the sun momentarily blinding her. She slowly sat up, stretching her arms and looking around the room. Where was she? "Oh yeah, I'm at the Black Order." Maia said, remembering where she was. All of a sudden, something small and black flew in through the window and zoomed around Maia's head. "Wha-?" she said, trying to catch the thing. Dang, it was hard to catch! It flew right in front of her face, then it would dart up to the ceiling, and then it would fly behind her head. Maia finally managed to grab a hold of its wing and get a good look at the flying contraption. It was a small black golem, and the other wing was flapping excitedly. "Where did you come from?" Maia asked, letting go of the golem's wing. The golem flew to the window, and zipped in and out. "Yeah, I get that you came in through the window. I mean, who sent you?" she asked. The golem went to the desk and started flapping its wings over the surface, like it was scattering papers. "Oooh, charades. Okay, um, scattered papers? Messy? Disorganized? Disorganized…oh, Komui! Komui sent you." said Maia. The golem flew around in excited circles, obviously happy at Maia's answer. "Okay. Why did he send you?" The golem bumped its head against Maia, then flew back out the window, and repeated the process a couple of times. "He wants me to see him?" she asked. The golem nodded a couple of times. "Do I have to go now?" The golem shook its head "no". "Well, I'll go after I eat something. Are you his golem?" said Maia. The golem shook its head again, and flew against Maia's forehead, bumping her gently a couple of times. "Mine? You're mine?" The golem flew around happily, fluttering its wings excitedly against Maia's hair. "Hmm, what should I call you?" Maia thought a bit, then smiled as she remembered her favorite anime, and a character that reminded her of the golem. "I think I'll call you Black Star."

**Yay! I updated! Do you guys like Black Star the golem? It's so cute! I want one… Yeah, so this story is still set in -Man time, but it has modern elements, so Maia will randomly start talking about anime, Nirvana, and Advent Children. Just letting you know, so you don't need to freak out and go all "WAIT, SHE NEVER SAID THAT THIS WAS AN AU? I'M SO FREAKING CONFUSED!" Hahahaha, I'm sorry, I'm weird. :-**P** I will update REALLY soon. Please leave a review! Bye!**


	3. You Again?

**Yay! I'm updating! Sorry for the delay, I've been uber busy with school and making sure that you people will LOVE this chapter. Okay, so this is the chapter where things finally get important and relevant! No more weird fluff! (Well, there will be some fluff, but it will be important fluff!) I don't own -Man, just Maia and General Tsing and Black Star the golem. Enjoy!**

Maia walked down to the dining hall, led by Black Star, who was flying around and pushing her forward. She also followed the smell of delicious food down the hallway. Damn, that food smelled _really_ good. Finally, she found the dining hall. It was full of Finders and members of the Science Division eating their food. Maia walked up to the food window, where a pig-tailed man wearing a tank top with the word "love" in Japanese was cooking. "Um, excuse me?" said Maia, knocking on the side of the window. The guy looked up from the pan he was stirring, and smiled at Maia. "Hey there! You the new girl? Oh my good glory gosh, I love your hair!" "Um, thank you?" said Maia, subconsciously putting her hand on her hair. "So, what do you want to eat? I can make anything you want." said the man. "Anything?" said Maia, "Okay, then could I please get a ham and cheese croissant with a side of raspberries and some coffee? Oh, and a cupcake." "You got it, girlfriend. One ham and cheese croissant, coming right up!" he said. Two minutes later, the man handed her a tray with her food. "Enjoy!" he said, winking. Maia thanked him, and was then faced with a bigger problem. A problem that ranks right up there with world peace and childhood obesity. A problem that has plagued students for years.

Where was she going to sit?

Maia didn't know anybody at the Order yet, and it would be too awkward to try and sit with a group of people whom were complete strangers. Maybe she should just find a corner in the back to eat at…While Maia was contemplating these options, she heard someone call her name. She turned around, and saw Lenalee waving at her from a table. Maia flashed her a grateful smile and walked over to Lenalee's table, where she was sitting with an eye-patched boy who was engrossed in a book.

"Hey, Maia! How did you sleep?" asked Lenalee. "Really well, thanks. I haven't slept in a bed for the past two weeks, so that felt like heaven." Maia said. Lenalee turned and poked the boy next to her. "Lavi! Get your nose out of that book and say hello!" The boy quickly glanced up, said "Hi,", and went back to reading. Then, he looked up again slower, doing a double take. "Lenalee, is there a phone around here that I can use?" he asked. "Yeah, in Komui's office. Why?" Lenalee said in a concerned tone. "Well, I need to make an urgent call to heave, 'cuz I think an angel's gone missing. STRIKE!" he yelled, raising a victorious fist in the air. Maia coolly looked back at Lavi. "Honey, if that's the best that you can come up with, than I sincerely doubt that you have a girlfriend." Lavi looked shocked, while Lenalee snorted into her glass of water, giggling. "I think that's the first time you've ever been turned down, Lavi." Lenalee said. Lavi muttered something about heartbreakers and nobody loving him, and he returned to his book. "What are you reading?" Maia asked, feeling bad that she had made him sad. "'Ancient Cultures of Primitive Amazonian Civilizations.'" said Lavi. Maia blinked. "Sounds…interesting," she said, "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't even bother to introduce myself. My name's Maia. And you're Lavi?" "Yup. Lavi Bookman at your service, m'lady." he said, extending his hand. Maia rolled her eyes, smirking, as she shook his hand. "Is he always like this?" Maia asked Lenalee. "Yeah, but you get used to it." Lenalee said. Maia's stomach growled, and she remembered how hungry she was. She picked up her croissant and began to eat it. She took a bite, paused, then chewed and swallowed it. Maia looked at the croissant, and said, "This is the best fucking croissant I've ever eaten." Lenalee giggled, and Lavi yelled, "Hey, Jerry, the new girl likes your food!" Jerry called back, "There's more where that came from, girlfriend!"

Maia ravenously ate her food. Damn, it was _good._ How was it possible that she had lived so long without tasting Jerry's cooking? It was like he head taken a small piece of heaven and converted it into food. While Maia ate, Lenalee interrupted her musings. "So, Maia, where did you come from?" she asked. Maia looked up. "What do you mean?" "I mean, where did you live previously before you came to the Order? If you don't mind my asking." Lenalee added hastily, remembering how Maia was reluctant to say what her last name was. "It's alright," said Maia, "Until two weeks ago, I lived with General Tsing in Japan, where I was in training for six years." "So why did you come here all of a sudden?" asked Lavi. Maia paused and looked down. "The General, um…died."

Lavi froze. That wasn't quite the answer he was expecting. Lenalee gasped, and said, "Oh my God, I'm so sorry! Are you alright?" Maia looked up, smiling. "It's okay. She had been sick for so long that her dying was the best thing for her. I'm just glad that she's finally out of pain. You see, she had leukemia, so by the end she was glad that she could finally be at rest. I was actually supposed to come here two months ago, but I wanted to stay to take care of her. She died a couple of weeks ago, so I settled some matters and came here." Lenalee had tears in her eyes, and Lavi looked ashamed of himself for bringing up such a personal memory. "I'm fine, really! You don't have to feel bad about it. I mean, I would have had to talk about it sooner or later." said Maia. The two still looked shocked, so Maia racked her brains to try and find a different topic of conversation. "Hey! Yesterday, you said that Komui had lost someone else's letter of referral. Did you get another Exorcist before me?" "We did, actually. Two days ago, Allen Walker came here, and the Gatekeeper also thought that Allen was an akuma, so we had a similar incident." said Lenalee, wiping her eyes with a napkin. "Why did he think that Allen was an akuma?" asked Maia. "Well, Allen has this scar over his left eye that's shaped like a pentacle, so the Gatekeeper mistook it for an akuma's mark. Then, Kanda got involved, and it wasn't very pretty." said Lenalee, wincing at the memory. Something stirred in Maia's head, a memory. A pentacle scar over his left eye? Why did he seem so familiar…

"Does Allen have white hair, and a yellow golem? Is he also kind of short?" asked Maia. "Yes, he does. How did you know that?" asked Lenalee, curious. "Because I think I met him at a train station when I was changing trains Mater." said Maia. "Was he with a tall man with long blue hair?" asked Lenalee. "Yeah! The one with the attitude problem!" said Maia. "Yup, that's Allen," said Lenalee, "We sent him out on a mission with Kanda yesterday to Mater." Lavi looked surprised, and said, "Wait. So, you met Kanda yesterday?" "I guess so," said Maia, and she launched into her account about what happened at the train station. "…And then, he gets the nerve to blame _me_ for tripping! So I told him, 'Hey, jerkwad, don't yell at me for something that wasn't my fault!'" At this, Lavi burst out laughing. Between his fits of laughter, Lavi gasped out, "Y-you called Yuu-chan a j-jerk? I wish I c-could have seen his face!"

That's when a realization the size of a meteor hit Maia. "So, what you're saying is, that Kanda guy is an Exorcist, too?" she asked. "Yeah, Kanda is one of our best." said Lenalee. Dread slowly began to creep into Maia's veins. "Oh God," Maia said, putting her face in her palms, 'Oh my _God_." "What's wrong?" Lenalee asked with a worried look on her face. "Don't you see what this means? If he lives here, then I'm going to see him again! I can't live with that!" Maia exclaimed. Chibi Maia was banging her head against the brick wall again. "Maia, it'll be alright. I bet that Yuu won't even remember what happened when you see him!" said Lavi reassuringly. Maia looked up. "Do you really think so?" she asked. "I would bet my life on it." said Lavi, smiling. "Well, if you say so," said Maia, a tentative smile on her lips, "I should go see Komui, now." I've stalled him long enough. It was nice meeting you!" And with that, Maia got up and walked out of the cafeteria, led by Black Star.

Lenalee looked at Lavi pointedly. "Lavi, why would you say something like that? After you, Kanda has one of the best memories in the Order. He wouldn't forget an incident like that." "Well, she looked so worried. I hate to see a pretty girl freak out like that." said Lavi, leaning back and putting his hands behind his head and grinning. Lenalee rolled her eyes and chuckled, kicking him lightly underneath the table.

The visit in Komui's office was relatively short and went well. He asked her questions about her training with the General, the General's passing, what sort of weapon Fanfare was, etc. Then, Maia had to have her Innocence compatibility checked out by Hevlaska. Maia didn't start panicking when the ghost-like Exorcist picked her up and touched Maia's forehead to hers, but it did feel weird. The test didn't hurt, it just felt odd and uncomfortable, like going to the dentist's. It turned out that Maia's synchro-rate was 83%, which was a very good number. Komui said, "Interesting…" when he heard the number, and Maia looked at him, puzzled. "What's so interesting about it?" she asked. Komui immediately looked up and smiled. "Oh, nothing," he said, waving his hand dismissively, "Well, everything checks out alright with you, Miss Maia. I hope you'll be happy here at the Black Order." Maia shook his hand, and said, "I think I will."

A week and a half passed by quietly. Allen came back a couple of days later, and Maia met him a second time, much to his surprise. Maia was secretly pleased when she heard that Kanda had been sent on another mission from Mater, which was why he hadn't returned with Allen. The longer that she didn't have to face him, the better. In the meanwhile, she got to know the people at the Order better, including Allen and Lenalee (Lavi had to leave on a mission as soon as Allen came back, so they didn't get to meet). Maia learned that Allen was a very polite, gentlemanly boy who ate mountains of food each day. She also found out what a heartless poker player he was when he challenged her to a game one rainy afternoon. Maia also learned that Lenalee was into anime, and they had stayed up until 3:00 am one time, crying their eyes out over "Fruits Basket". She found out how the Science Division was enormously overworked, and how Komui had an extreme sister complex (Maia found herself having to restrain Komui many times from killing somebody that he thought was hitting on Lenalee). All in all, Maia was enjoying herself at the Order.

But, the day inevitably came that Maia had been dreading. One morning, when Maia was helping Lenalee hand out coffee to the Science Division, Reever called her over to his desk. "Yo, what's up?" Maia asked, holding an empty coffee tray. "Maia, could you do me a favor and go out into the training forest? Komui needs to see Kanda, and his golem's turned off, so you need to go get him." Reever said, resting his tired head on a stack of paperwork. Maia dropped the tray, subconsciously glad that it was empty. "What?" she said. "Look, Maia, everyone else is busy, and we need you to get Kanda." he said. "Well, why can't Komui go?" she asked, trying to stall for time. "Because if we let him out of his office, we may never see him again. Maia, just go!" Reever said irritably. "Fine," Maia sighed, and walked out of the Science Section, her heart pounding fearfully.

As Maia walked into the training forest, picking her way through low branches and tree roots, she muttered to herself, "C'mon, Maia, just remember what Lavi said! He probably doesn't even remember you.' While normal Maia was trying to reassure herself, Chibi Maia was curled up in a fetal position, rocking back and forth.

Finally, she came upon a clearing. There, sitting cross-legged on the ground, meditating, was a blindfolded man with long, midnight-blue hair gathered in a ponytail. Next to him, a katana lay on the ground next to his boots, shirt and coat. As Maia took a step forward, Kanda stood up, unsheathed his katana, and said, "Who' s there?" Maia took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and said, "My name's Maia. Are you Kanda?"

That's odd, Kanda thought. Where had he heard that voice before? He took off his blindfold, and his dark cobalt eyes were instantly met with blue-green ones. It was her. The blonde girl from the train station.

Both Exorcists stood there in shock. Neither had been really expecting this moment, and they didn't know what to do. Kanda had never given a second thought to her after that day. Was this karma for that? What the hell was he supposed to say? Finally, Kanda said, "What are you doing here?" "I'm an Exorcist, I live here now," Maia said simply, thinking of no other explanation to give, "And it turns out that you do, too." She crossed her arms nervously and looked to the side. God, this was so _awkward._ Kanda sheathed Mugen, and said, "Well, what do you want that's so important that you had to interrupt my meditating?" he asked irritably. "Komui wants to see you in his office. He didn't say why." she said. Kanda sighed and began to put on his boots and shirt. Maia took that time to notice what a nice, muscular chest he had. On the left side of his chest, he had a black Om symbol tattooed over his heart.

"That's pretty hardcore." Maia said, spotting the tattoo. "What?" Kanda said, straightening up from tying his boots. "Your tattoo, the Om symbol. Hardcore Buddhist, I like that." she said, smiling, trying to lighten the situation. Kanda just gave her a look. "Whatever." he muttered, putting on a white V-neck t-shirt and picking up his coat and Mugen. He walked towards the Order, and Maia followed him.

They walked in silence for a couple of minutes, neither of them making any eye contact. Maia finally decided to sneak a glance at Kanda, to see if he was angry at all. He had a serious expression on his face, but not angry. He also had a really nice face. He had a strong jaw and nicely sculpted cheek bones. His nose was straight, and his dark bangs hung in an ironed fringe over his eyes. Damn, he was _hot._ Not that she liked him, it was just an observation, Maia thought hurriedly. Kanda noticed Maia looking at him. "Can I help you?" he asked in an annoyed tone. "Uh…is that your anti-akuma weapon?" she asked, pointing at the katana slung over his shoulder. "Obviously," he said, rolling his eyes.

Annoyance at Kanda set in again, and Maia was reminded of the popular girls at her school who had done the same thing when someone had asked them a question. A snarky comeback popped into her head. "Hey, Kanda, do you know what the difference is between you and a snobby junior-high girl?" Maia asked. "No. What?" Kanda said, wondering what she was getting at. "No difference at all." That got Kanda's attention, and he glared at her, pissed that she had talked to him like that. Maia just smiled sweetly and continued walking. In her head, Chibi Maia was laughing and giving Kanda the finger.

They reach the Order, and Kanda abruptly heads to Komui's office, leaving Maia behind. The sooner he got away from her, the better. What the hell was she doing here? It was already bad enough having the annoying rabbit here and that bean sprout, but her? His life was just so fucking perfect, the only way it could get any better would be if Tiedoll decided to come back to the Order. Why him? What did he ever do to deserve this? Oh yeah, all that stuff he said to her…

Maia reported back to Reever when Kanda walked off. "How did it go?" Reever asked. "Oh, it went well." Maia said happily, still savoring her victory in the forest. With Kanda here, this could get pretty fun…However, the General's face popped into her head again, frowning. Maia heard her saying, "Is this really what you want, Maia? To sink down to his level? Apologize to the boy, and be the better person." "But I don't want to." Chibi Maia whined. The General gave Chibi Maia a look, and she sighed and said, "Fine…"

Later that day, at lunch, Maia had just got her tray of food and was going to sit with Lenalee and Allen (who were really hitting it off), when she saw Kanda sitting alone at a table, eating soba. Maia remembered the General's words, and decided to be the better person and take the first step. She straightened her shoulders, walked over to his table, and brightly said, "Hi!" She felt the eyes of the entire cafeteria pierce her skin, and felt that damn blush creep onto her face again. Kanda looked up and saw her standing there, a smile on her face. What did she want now? "Yes?" he snapped, holding his chopsticks. "Can I sit here?" she asked. Kanda was surprised. In his entire time at the Order, no one had ever wanted to sit at his table. They had all left him alone, not wanting to tempt his famous foul mood and find themselves with Mugen pointed at their throat. But she didn't seem afraid. She seemed…friendly. "If you want to." Kanda muttered, continuing to eat his soba. Maia sat down and began to eat her sandwich. What was she going to say to him? Soba's cool, why do you have such long hair, what's it like being a complete asshole? "Stop it, Maia," she thought. She took a deep breath, and spoke.

"Look, I'm sorry for what I said earlier today. And I'm sorry for calling you a jerk in Mater. I tend to say rude things when I'm provoked. So, please accept my apologies and we can start off on a brighter note!" Kanda looked up. She was _apologizing?_ What for? "Why are you apologizing? I was the one who started it." Kanda said, puzzled. "Well, I felt like being the better person. So will you accept my apology?" she asked with a pleading look in her eyes. Kanda sighed, and said, "Okay." "Yay!" Maia said delightedly, clapping her hands. "Just don't do that!" Kanda said, narrowing his eyes and pointing to her hands. Maia stopped, and slowly put her hands down. They continued to eat, and Maia heard whispers all around the cafeteria.

"Why is she eating with _him?_"

"Is it a dare? Why hasn't he killed her yet?"

"Do you think she's crazy, or just high?"

About five minutes after their conversation, Kanda heard Maia say, "Hey, Kanda." He looked up again, wondering what she wanted now. "What?" he snapped. "I was wondering…if penguins could talk, what do you think they would say? Do you think they would talk about fish and other simple things, or would they have long debates on global warming?" Kanda glowered at her, returned to eating, and said, "They would say, 'Shut the fuck up, Maia, Kanda's trying to eat.'" Maia blinked, then burst out into peals of laughter. "Oh, you're so cute!" she said, then stood up and walked away with her empty tray, giggling, leaving Kanda alone to wonder what the hell just happened to him.

**Okey doke, I'm done! Maia finally got to meet Kanda again, yay! Sorry about that last part, I wanted to show how random Maia can and will be. I've always wondered that myself, actually. What would penguins say if they could talk? Also, if any of you are wondering why Kanda was shirtless in the forest, I'll tell you why. In one of the early chapters, there's a picture of Kanda training in the forest without a shirt on. I got inspiration from that, so I guess he got really hot while jumping around with that sword. Also, the Om symbol is a Buddhist symbol, so that's why Maia thought that Kanda was a Buddhist. He's not, obviously, she was just trying to make a joke. To any Buddhist's out there, please don't get offended! I'm not insulting your religion! Anyhoo, please leave a review! Bye!**


	4. Pointe

**Hello again! Many thanks to ToneLiko, Rosie, and Monique for leaving such wonderful reviews for me (Lord Byron is hereby banned from leaving reviews because he is a troll. Marshal, however, may review as much as he wants!). Anyways, this chapter is where we get into the plot. I know, I know. There's drabble and fighting, and ballet! So sit back, eat some popcorn, check your Tumblr, and enjoy!**

Kanda was contemplating suicide. He knew that killing himself would never work, since his body healed crazy fast, but it was nice to think about death. Death was peaceful, quiet. Death was far away from _her._

Ever since Kanda had let Maia sit with him at lunch that day, she had sat with him at every meal, except when one of them was on a mission. And when she sat with him, Maia would ask the most annoying questions. No matter how many times he responded with "Leave me alone" or "Shut up", she would just smile and continue talking. Sometimes she would talk about her day, but mostly they were just annoying questions.

"Do you think the world would be altered if elephants were green?"

"Why is chocolate so sexy?"

"Do you think aliens came up with frozen yogurt?"

When Maia ate with him, he couldn't wait for his food to be done so he could get out of there. However, when Maia was on a mission, eating felt strangely…lonely. Kanda couldn't fathom why. He also couldn't understand why she ate with _him_, the least sociable person in the Order. One day, at dinner, Kanda asked her that.

"So, I was reading this book today, and it was talking about the universe and God and stuff, and it got me wondering: do we really exist? Are people just imagined by other people, and are _those_ people-" "Why do you sit with me?" Kanda interrupted. Maia looked up from the tomato soup she was stirring, and said, "What do you mean?" "Out of all the people in here at the Order, why do you choose to sit with me every single day?" Kanda demanded. Maia looked thoughtful and put her spoon down. "I don't really know." she said. She turned her head to the side and began twirling a piece of her hair around her finger. "I guess…it's because you're interesting. You're different from everyone else at the Order, and it's because you're so silent and mysterious. You're an enigma, and I wonder why." They continued to eat, and when Maia was done, she stood up with her tray and said, "Also, you're nice to talk to." "But I never talk back." Kanda pointed out, confused. Maia shrugged, smiling. "You listen. And sometimes, that's the best thing."

The next morning, as Kanda was headed to the dining hall, he heard someone call his name from behind him. He turned around and saw Johnny from the Science Division running towards him. Johnny skidded to a halt, and was bent over, panting. "K-Kanda, Chief Komui wants to see you and Maia in his office right away. Y-you need to get h-her for me, I have to hunt down Komulin 2.5." And with that, Johnny ran down the hallway at a frantic speed. "How the hell am I supposed to know where she is?" Kanda yelled after him. "I think I saw her go to the Training Floor!" Johnny yelled back faintly. "Che" Kanda snorted, and headed to the Training Floor. What could the Chief want with him and blondie?

As Kanda walked towards the Training Floor, he heard classical music being played, which was odd, since he never heard music coming from there. The music was nice, though. He walked in, and there was Maia. But she wasn't training. She was…dancing.

She was wearing her Black Order skirt (a black miniskirt with white lining), and a black tank top. On her feet, she was wearing pink ballerina slippers with blocked toes, pointe shoes. Maia didn't seem to notice Kanda enter, she was so lost in the music and the dance. Maia leaped and spun around the room, landing lightly on her toes. Even though she was doing complicated ballet steps, Maia made every move seem as effortless as walking. She was so graceful that it was hard to look away, even though Kanda knew that he would rather be dead than be caught watching something as girly as ballet.

As the music wound down, Maia did a grande jete and pirouetted as she landed, coming to a graceful stop on her last turn. The music stopped, and Maia looked up, giving a little shriek as she saw Kanda standing there. "Oh, gosh, you scared me!" she gasped, as Chibi Maia started screaming, "GOSH? REALLY? DID YOU SERIOUSLY SAY GOSH?" Maia picked up her iPod from the floor, pausing the next song. "Um, what did you want?" she asked. "Komui wants to see us in his office." Kanda said. "Okay, give me a sec." Maia said, sitting down to untie the satin ribbons of her shoes. As Maia was taking her slippers off, Kanda asked, "What were you doing?" Maia glanced up. "Dancing, what did it look like I was doing?" "Why?" "It's part of my training." Maia said, standing up and sticking her feet into black flats. "How is that training?" Kanda scoffed. Maia looked at Kanda while putting on her Black Order jacket. "You've never seen me fight, have you?" she said. "What's that supposed to mean?" "You'll find out," Maia said, smiling mysteriously, "C'mon!" Maia grabbed Kanda's wrist and began to drag him out, but Kanda snatched his wrist away and stormed off ahead of her.

They reached Komui's office, but no one was there. Maia walked up to Komui's desk and read aloud the note she found on it.

"_Had to go protect Sir Komulin 2.5 from the Science Division. Will be back in 5 minutes. Chief Komui" _Maia read, sitting on the couch next to Kanda and tucking one leg underneath her. "Che, that guy needs to stop making so many damn robots." Kanda muttered, crossing his arms over his chest. Maia picked up her ballet slippers and began to tie the ribbons together so they wouldn't get all tangled up. The movement caught Kanda's eye, and he found himself watching her. Her forehead was furrowed in concentration, and she was biting her lip as she wound the ribbons together in a bow. He noticed that the tips of the shoes weren't pink like the rest of the shoe, but were stained a rusty brown color.

"What happened?" Kanda asked, gesturing towards Maia's pointe shoes. Maia looked down, noticing the stains, and said, "When you first go up on pointe shoes, your feet are getting used to being on their tips, so they tend to bleed. This was my first pair pointe shoes, so I bled through these," Maia said, looking up to meet Kanda's eyes and grinning wryly, "Now you know that it's not all fairies and sugar plums."

Kanda turned away, looking at a random spot on the wall. Damnit, why was he feeling guilty again? It wasn't his fault that she decided to do that to herself. What idiot would make herself bleed just so that she could dance pretty? He kept feeling guilty, though, and he couldn't stop himself from picturing her dancing with blood seeping through her ballet shoes, in pain.

"Does it still hurt?" Kanda mumbled, continuing to stare at the random spot on the wall. "No, your feet stop bleeding after the first few weeks, and then it doesn't hurt anymore. I went up on pointe a couple of years ago, so dancing doesn't hurt." Maia looked at Kanda, surprise in her eyes. "Kanda, did you just show concern for another human being?" "Shut up." Kanda said. "I think you did. Awww, you do care about me!" Maia teased, nudging Kanda lightly. "I said, shut up!" Kanda snapped, eyes flashing. Maia laughed softly, spotting the light flush creep into his cheeks.

At that moment, the office door opened and Komui entered, his clothes slightly singed and ripped, and there was a huge bump on his head (presumably where Lenalee kicked him). "Sorry about that! Sir Komulin is under control, everything's fine." Komui stumbled over to his desk and sat down, looking at Maia and Kanda over the tops of his glasses. "Now, the reason that I brought you here today is because I've assigned you two on a mission. Maia stopped tying her ribbons, Kanda's eye started twitching in anger, and Chibi Maia looked up from the ramen noodles that she was slurping up, and said, "Say what?" While Komui was talking about some swordsman in Rome who had been alive for a thousand years and heightened akuma activity at this colosseum, Kanda was wondering when he would go insane from listening to Maia's constant chatter. At the same time, Maia was thinking, "But I didn't get to eat yet…"

"You'll have to leave soon, since the train to Rome leaves in an hour, so I'll let you go now. Good luck!" Komui said, giving the pair a thumbs up. Maia and Kanda left the office, and went to their rooms to pack. Kanda was done in under a minute, since he had so few items to pack, but Maia was taking forever. After five minutes, Kanda got tired of waiting and contacted Maia's golem using his own. "What the hell's taking you so long?" "Sorry, sorry! I'll be done really soon. Just come up to my room, it's the 5th door on the left on the third floor." Maia said, and then the connection went out. Luckily, Kanda was on the fourth floor, so he didn't have far to go. Maia's room wasn't hard to find; he just followed the sound of crashing and swearing. When he got to her door, Black Star flew out and zipped around Kanda's head while holding one of Maia's socks. "Damnit, Black Star, I need that!" Maia yelled, slamming open the door. She froze, awkwardly, as she saw Kanda standing in front of her. He reached out and grabbed Black Star, picking the sock off and letting the golem go. It was a green ankle sock covered with flying tacos. Kanda held the sock out and raised one eyebrow disdainfully. "I like tacos, okay?" Maia snapped, snatching the sock out of his hand and going back into her room. Kanda heard some more quiet swearing, then she popped her head out of the door. "You don't have to stand out there, come in." Kanda didn't go into her room, but he stood in the doorway, getting a full view of what Maia had once referred to as "the most pimpin' room in the entire Order". She had various posters on her wall, a bright yellow rig on the floor, and a bookshelf next to her desk. On her desk, she had a bunch of photos of herself with a black-haired girl, and she had a vase of irises. Maia ran to her closet, pulled out a sweater, and threw it into her suitcase, slamming it shut.

"All done!" Maia said, picking up Fanfare and putting them in her belt holster. She turned and began staring intently at her bookshelf. "What now?" Kanda said in an exasperated tone. "I can't decide which book to bring." Maia said. "Why do you need a book?" "I get bored easily!" "Oh, for God's sake-" Kanda said, storming into her room and picking a random book and thrusting it into her hands. "But I just read this one." Maia said, looking at her copy of _Jane Eyre_. "It doesn't matter! Come on!" Kanda yelled, grabbing Maia's wrist and pulling her out of her room as she snatched up her suitcase.

They continued like this until they reached the main entrance, where Kanda realized that he was still holding onto Maia's wrist. He dropped it, embarrassed at having touched her for so long without realizing it. "You that worried that I'll get lost?" Maia joked, rubbing her wrist. "No, it was the only way to get you to move your lazy ass." Kanda retorted. They left the Order and reached the train station 45 minutes later. After checking the schedule, the pair saw that they were 10 minutes early. Kanda sat down on a bench and looked out at the tracks, waiting for the train to come. Maia disappeared when Kanda sat down, and he vaguely wondered where she had run off to. She had probably went to go chase down a squirrel.

A few minutes later, he felt someone tap his shoulder. He turned his head around, and Maia was sitting next to him, holding out a cardboard cup. "Here," she said, "You looked like you hadn't eaten breakfast, so I got you something." "What is it?" Kanda asked, looking at the cup suspiciously. "Green tea, no sugar. That's how you like it, right?" Maia asked. "Yeah. Where'd you get it?" "Over there," she said, pointing at a man selling food and beverages from a cart, "I also got you a bagel." "Um…thanks." Kanda said awkwardly, taking the cup and the foil wrapped circle from her hands. Normally, he didn't eat bagels, but there was no soba nearby, and he was hungry. Maia had gotten the same thing, except her drink was coffee. The two Exorcists sat in silence until the train came, eating their bagels and sipping their hot beverages until the hunger pangs were erased from their stomachs.

On the train, Kanda and Maia were given their own First Class compartment. Just like the last time, when Maia boarded the train in Mater, all they had to do was show the conductor the Rose Cross on their uniforms, and they were given their own room. Once Maia got done putting their luggage away, she flopped onto the seat and got out her book. Kanda put Mugen beside him and looked out the window, watching the scenery roll by. Kanda was waiting for Maia to break the peaceful silence with one of her inane questions, but she just sat there, intent on her reading.

Maia had just gotten to the part where Jane had met Mr. Brocklehurst, when Kanda's voice broke the silence and jerked her out of the world of orphans and gloomy mansions. "You're being awfully quiet." "Well, I'm reading. Why should I be talking?" she murmured. "It's just that you're much more talkative at the Order." Kanda said, still looking out the window. What was he talking about? Oh, _that._ "You mean my mealtime conversations? Oh, I was just trying to get you to talk. Plus, you're funny when you get annoyed." Maia said. Kanda glared at her. "Che." The rest of the trip was spent in silence.

When the train was almost in Rome, Maia closed her book and stretched her arms over her head, feeling her muscles ease up after being in the same position for hours. Maia looked over at Kanda, and saw that he was fast asleep. His head was resting against the window, and he still looked serious in his sleep. But, at the same time, he looked oddly…peaceful. It was like watching a grumpy puppy nap. "Oh, my kingdom for a camera." Maia whispered, smiling at the look on his face.

However, as you know, waking grumpy puppies isn't always the best idea. Maia tried shaking him and calling his name, but Kanda just wouldn't wake up. Finally, in desperation, Maia grabbed the end of his ponytail and yanked it. Before you could say "mitorashi dango", Kanda had whipped out Mugen and pointed it at her throat, saying, "Don't. _Ever._ Do that." Maia blinked and touched the tip of the katana, slowly lowering the sharp point away from her throat. "Kanda," Maia said calmly, "Have you ever heard of thinking before you act? This is one of those situations." Kanda sighed and sheathed Mugen, and said, "What do you want?" "We'll be in Rome in ten minutes." Maia said. "And that's why you pulled my hair?" "You wouldn't wake up!" she said, slouching down in her seat and putting her feet up next to Kanda. He rolled his eyes and looked out the window again, trying to ignore the mischievous smile on Maia's face.

At the train station in Rome, they met their Finder, a man named Pedro with a cool mustache. Pedro filled them in on what the situation was with Vittorio. The colosseum where Vittorio was had been dormant for a while, but over the past few weeks, there had been frequent akuma attacks. "What would cause them to suddenly start appearing in that area?" Maia asked, pulling up the hood of her jacket to protect her hair from the pouring rain they were currently walking through. "That's what I've been trying to find out. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to dig anything up." Pedro said. As they walked on, Maia spotted a poster on a pole with a picture of a beautiful blonde girl on it. It read, "Chiedoro alla persona? Claudia Sardini" "When did that Claudia girl go missing?" Maia asked Pedro. "Who?" "The girl on the wanted poster," she said, walking over and pointing to the poster, "See? 'Have you seen this girl? Claudia Sardini.' Do you know when she went missing?" Pedro shook his head, and said, "Sorry, I don't." "You can read Italian?" Kanda said. "Yup. I can read and speak French, Italian, Japanese, Chinese, German, and Dutch." Then, Maia decided to try something out. "Kanda!" Kanda turned his head and looked at her. "What?" "Nande ame ga futeiru ka?" "How am I supposed to know?" Kanda said in Japanese, and then paused. "Doshite sono rihongo de kikimashitaka?" "I felt like it." Maia said, shrugging.

Maia, Kanda, and Pedro reached the colosseum, and by that time, the rain had lightened up to a fine drizzle. Around the ancient structure, numerous akuma were circled around the perimeter. "Oh boy, a welcome party." Maia muttered under her breath. "You stay here, and lay low." Kanda said to Pedro, pulling Mugen out of its case. "Mugen, Unsheathe." Kanda touched his middle and forefinger to the base of the hilt and drew them up to the tip of the blade, a blue glow running up the sword as the Innocence was activated. Maia pulled her fans out of her belt holster and snapped them open, saying "Fanfare, Activate." Her fans briefly glowed silver and they grew to the length of her arms, the silk turning into razor-sharp blades. As the two Exorcists walked over to the colosseum, the akuma noticed them and started firing. "Today's your lucky day, Kanda." Maia said, walking faster. "Why's that?" Kanda said, deflecting akuma bullets with his sword. "Because you get to watch me fight." Maia said, grinning as she leaped into the air, slicing an akuma in half with her fan.

While Kanda and Maia fought off the akuma, Kanda saw what Maia meant when she said that dancing was part of her training. As she killed the akuma, she was spinning and leaping through the air, twisting her body gracefully to dodge the akuma bullets. It was a dance of blades and light, a touch-step routine that toed the line of death. As Maia slashed the last akuma to pieces with Fanfare, she came to a graceful stop, her feet in the ballet fourth position. She deactivated Fanfare and turned to Kanda, grinning. "Ta da!"

Maia and Kanda entered the colosseum, a slight shiver passing through her as she stepped through the entryway. The atmosphere felt strange, and she could have sworn that she heard battle cries echoing around the air. "Well? Where is this mysterious sword fighter?" Maia asked, holding Fanfare alert at her sides. Lightening flashed, and the silhouette of a large man appeared at the other end of the colosseum. He wore half of a warrior's helmet which covered the lower half of his face, and he carried a broadsword that was almost as big as Maia. The man spoke. "I am Vittorio. By order of Princess Sandra, I will fight you." "I accept your challenge," Kanda said, brandishing Mugen. Vittorio walked towards the pair as Maia activated Fanfare and got into a fighting stance. Vittorio stepped a couple of feet away from the pair, and pointed his sword at Maia. "She has to leave." "What? Why?" Maia asked. The swordsman turned his head to her and looked at Maia with cold eyes. "I don't fight women." Maia's jaw dropped. Did he just say what she thought he just said? "And may I ask why not?" Maia retorted, eyes flashing angrily. "It's against my honor to fight someone of the weaker sex." "Weaker WHAT? Why you-" Maia yelled, while Chibi Maia said, "Don't worry, I'm on it," as she started sticking rusty pins into a Vittorio voodoo doll. Just as Maia was about to attack Vittorio, Kanda stuck his arm out and restrained her.

"What are you doing? Let me go!" Maia said, struggling against Kanda's arm. "Remember what you said about thinking before you act? This is one of those times." Kanda said. Maia paused and sighed in defeat, realizing that he was right. Damn him, why did he have to use her words against her? She turned around and looked Kanda in the eyes. "Fine. Good luck fighting him, Kanda. I sincerely hope that you beat the CHAUVANISTIC PIG!" Maia yelled, looking at Vittorio when she said the last two words. Kanda rolled his eyes. "You don't need to hope, I will win. Get that straight in your head." Kanda stepped forward, and the two men raised their swords, bowing slightly at each other. They began to circle each other slowly, their feet slowly stepping in time. All of a sudden, the two lunged at each other, clashing swords. And then, the battle really began.

Maia was amazed. The two were equally matched, attacking and blocking each other's moves, their swords flashing and giving off sparks as their edges met. Vittorio was clearly showing anger and emotion in his style, but Kanda stayed calm, blocking each attack with a disdainful look in his eyes, as if he already knew that he had won. Maia saw that this battle between the two wouldn't end soon, so she walked out of the colosseum, back to where Pedro was stationed. "What's wrong?" Pedro asked, concerned at the sight of just one Exorcist returning. "Well, Vittorio is a sexist pig who doesn't consider me to be a worthy opponent, so Kanda's fighting him. This could take a while." Maia said, sitting down on a ruined step next to Pedro. "Oh, okay." The two sat there for about ten minutes, and then Pedro said, "You wanna get some pasta?" "Okay!" Maia said, hopping up and skipping towards town.

Three days passed. Maia slept on and off again at the colosseum, occasionally walking towards the colosseum entrance to check on Kanda and Vittorio. They didn't seem to stop fighting, and Maia wondered how much longer Kanda could keep it up. Finally, on the third day, Maia heard Kanda's yell ring out from the colosseum. She raced towards the building, and saw Kanda kneeling on the ground blood staining the ground. "Kanda!" she called out, racing towards him. Vittorio loomed over Kanda, and was about to raise his sword to deliver the death blow, when a woman screamed all of a sudden. Maia and Vittorio turned, and he whispered the word, "Princess…" and walked off, leaving Maia kneeling beside the fallen Exorcist.

"Come on, Kanda. Are you alright?" Maia said worriedly, peering into his face. Kanda had gritted his teeth in pain as blood stained the area around his shoulder, where a deep gash was evident. He opened one eye, and said, "I'll live." That would have been reassuring, except for the fact that he started coughing up blood right after he spoke.

**Oh, I'm so BAD, leaving you with a cliff hanger. Next chapter will be posted soon, I swear! In case you were wondering, Maia and Kanda were speaking Japanese in their conversation. Maia asked Kanda, "Why is it raining?" and Kanda said, "Why are you speaking Japanese?" Maia talked to him in Japanese because she wanted to see if he could speak it. PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW! Ciao, bella!**


	5. A Shaky Friendship Blooms

**Hey, everybody, it's Maia! Yeah, so the author of this story is suffering from chronic laziness, so she asked me to write the intro this week. Yay! Let's see, this story is really cool, there's fluff and swearing, lotusmelody17 doesn't own any -Man, just me and her other OC's, etc. Um…shoot, I don't know what else to write. What do I write about? Er…Kanda! What should I write about? (**_**"Shut up! Leave me alone!")**_** Oh, okay, I see how it is! Everyone, Kanda is a mean jerk who likes to sleep with a teddy bear and is in love with Allen Walker, and-Oh God, I've gotta run! Bye! (**_**"Get back here! You're dead, Maia!"**_**) **

Vittorio ran to where the Princess Sandra was kept. She was sitting up on the makeshift bed he had made for her, clutching her blanket so tightly that her hands had turned white. "What is the matter, my lady?" Vittorio asked, concerned. Claudia turned and looked at him with a frightened look in her eyes. "I had a nightmare, and when I woke up, you weren't there, so I got scared." Vittorio kneeled in front of her, stroking her hair gently. "Forgive me for frightening you, my lady. I promise that it will never happen again." Claudia smiled, and said, "I believe you."

Maia's heart raced as Kanda spat up blood onto the ground in front of him. Kanda looked up and saw the terrified look on her face as she stared at him, teeth gritted in pain as blood dripped down his chin. "It's nothing, I'll be fine." Kanda muttered. "You honestly expect me to believe that?" Maia said worriedly, "You have a huge gash in your shoulder, you just coughed up blood, and God only knows what other injuries you have." "I told you, I'm fine-" Kanda began, only to be interrupted by an akuma bullet exploding into the ground a few feet away from him. "Are you effing kidding me?" Maia said, snapping open Fanfare as Kanda raised a shaking hand to activate Mugen. Maia pushed his hand back down, and said, "Oh, no you don't" as she stood up. "Fanfare, Melody Release" She crossed her fans across her chest, and then uncrossed them in a slashing motion. Purple energy rays shot out from them the blades of her fans at the akuma, killing them instantly. As the rays hit the akuma, you could faintly hear music coming from the rays.

Maia shut her fans and slid them back into their holster, and bent down to Kanda again. "Can you stand on you own?" she asked gently. Kanda slowly tried to get up, but the pain was too great and he collapsed to his knees again, groaning. Maia quickly walked to the other side of him and put his good arm around her shoulders and said, "Come on, I'll help you." By this point, Kanda was hurting too much to care that Maia was helping him. They both stood up slowly and Kanda leaned heavily on Maia, struggling to stay conscious. Besides the fact that Kanda was wounded, he was also exhausted. Three days of fighting with Vittorio had made his energy levels drop, and he barely had the strength to move his limbs. Because of that, Maia had to hold Mugen for him, to his embarrassment.

Pedro looked up from the stick he was whittling and saw Kanda limp out of the colosseum with Maia. "What happened?" he asked in shock. "He got wounded in the shoulder." Maia said. "It's nothing." Kanda said. "You are in no position to argue about your health." she snapped. She turned her head and looked at Pedro. "I don't think he needs a doctor, but he definitely needs some bandages. Would you mind getting them for me? I don't have any money on me, and you know Rome better than I do." "Alright. I'll contact Black Star when I get back." said Pedro. Kanda moaned in pain again, trying to muffle the sound by gritting his teeth together. He felt his shoulder beginning to heal, and he grimly anticipated the agony that awaited him. Being able to heal quickly wasn't the blessing that people thought it was. Feeling your cells regenerate and you skin knit back together was no picnic. This type of injury would take half an hour, at the most.

Pedro walked towards the direction of Rome, and Maia and Kanda went the opposite way in search of a place to stay. It was too risky to stay at the colosseum, for fear that the akuma would return; and it would take too long to bring Kanda back to Rome. Maia was hoping to find and inn nearby where they could stay for a few days, or at least until Kanda was healed.

The hot Italian sun blared down on the two Exorcists as they walked down the dusty road. Well, technically, Kanda leaned on Maia while she half-dragged the barely conscious samurai on the road they were taking. "Maybe…we should…rest…a bit." panted Maia. She was strong for her size, but Kanda was twice her weight and taller than her, so that made supporting him exceedingly difficult. "Sure." mumbled Kanda, his eyes struggling to stay open. To the side of the road, there was a large oak tree providing a bountiful amount of shade on the grass beneath it. They walked towards it, and Kanda collapsed on the ground, groaning as his head hit the hard dirt. "Why does the ground have to be so dam hard?" he muttered angrily. Maia sat down, setting Mugen beside her and leaning against the tree as she smoothed down her skirt. He looked to be in a lot of pain, like a grumpy puppy that ran into a door and hurt his nose, so Maia took pity on him. "Do you want to rest you head on my lap?" she asked tentatively. She had been considering of using her jacket as a pillow, but it would be too small, so it was either her lap or he could continue to bitch about the ground. "Okay," Kanda said, too tired to care.

He crawled closer to her and Maia gently lifted his head onto her lap Kanda closed his eyes and sighed in comfort. Bits of sunlight shone through the leaves of the tree, lighting up pieces of Maia's hair and Kanda's face. His dark blue bangs lay across his forehead, separating his skin into spiky white triangles. Maia gently brushed his bangs away from his forehead, her fingertips lightly brushing his skin. Kanda winced when her fingertips touched him, and she said, "Oh, sorry." "No, it's okay. That feels nice." Kanda said sleepily, reaching up to hold he wrist. Maia froze. Kanda was _enjoying_ it? Was the sun giving him heatstroke or something? His hand on her wrist made her pulse skip a beat and Maia glanced at it, puzzled. What was that about? She quickly dismissed the strange feeling and continued to stroke Kanda's hair as he drifted off to sleep. This went on for a couple of minutes, and Maia lazily glanced up and saw a man driving by in a horse-drawn cart.

"Excuse me, sir!" Maia called to him. "Hello there!" the man said, stopping his cart. "Is there an inn nearby or something?" she asked. "The nearest inn is in the next town, but there's an abandoned cottage just down the road." he said. "Thank you! Kanda, wake up!" Maia said, shaking him awake. Kanda slowly opened his eyes. "This better be good." Maia then became aware of how short her skirt was, and blushed with embarassment at the fact that Kanda's head was only a couple of inches away from the hem. Kanda realized that, too, when he felt her bare thighs under his neck, and he quickly sat up. He leaned on Maia again as they both stood up slowly, and continued down the road.

There, nestled at the foot of the mountain, was a small cottage. It was quaint, and the view of the mountain behind it made the scene quite postcard worthy. Maia and Kanda walked toward it, and she nudged the door open with her shoe. Dusty light from the doorway and the windows showed a bed to one side, a fireplace, a table and chairs, and some cabinets in the room. Kanda stepped away from Maia and walked over to the bed, tossing his coat off at the same time and collapsing onto the old mattress. "Kanda, hold on, we have to take care of your wounds-" "They're healed." Kanda said, his voice muffled from lying facedown on the pillow. "What do you mean? You were injured half an hour ago, there's no way you could have healed so quickly." Maia said, confused. Kanda sighed in annoyance and sat up, pulling the collar of his shirt away from his shoulder to show that the bleeding gash was now a faint red line, healed. "It's gone? How did that happen?" Maia asked, amazed at the sight of the healed wound. "It's just how my body works." Kanda said, lying down again and promptly falling asleep. "Looks like we won't be needing those bandages after all." Maia murmured, reaching for Black Star so that she could inform Pedro.

For the next two days, Kanda slept, exhausted from the fight with Vittorio. After those tow days, Kanda woke up. His eyes blinked open, and he found himself staring up at the wooden rafters of the low ceiling. He turned his head and saw Maia in a chair next to him, her head bent over his coat. His movement caught Maia's eye, and she looked over, grinning. "You're awake, sleepyhead!" she exclaimed happily. "What day is it?" Kanda asked, disoriented. "Thursday. You've been asleep for two days." Black Star took this opportunity to start zooming above Kanda's head, happy at his recovery. "Black Star, stop it! He just woke up, give him some peace." Maia said, tossing a spool of thread into a corner for Black Star to play with.

Kanda looked over and saw his coat on Maia's lap. "What are you doing?" he demanded. "Mending your coat. You had some tears in it, so I sewed them up for you. See?" She tied a knot in the thread and held up the coat for inspection. Where there had previously been a rip in the fabric, there was now smooth, whole cloth, repaired with stitches so tiny that they were practically invisible. You had to look very closely to see that the coat had been repaired at all. "The rip's practically gone…" Kanda said, amazed at how expertly she mended the fabric. "Like your wound," Maia joked, "I always keep a needle and thread in my bag for situations like this, so it was no big deal."

Staring up at the ceiling, Kanda closed his eyes, as if going back to sleep, and spoke. "It's in his sword." "What?" Maia asked, puzzled. "Vittorio's sword. The Innocence is inside it. That's why he's been able to fight off all those akuma." "Does that mean he's an accommodator?" "No, he's become enslaved by the Innocence, it's what's been keeping him alive for a thousand years." "So, what are you going to do? If the Innocence is keeping him alive, how will you defeat him?" Maia asked, tucking one leg underneath her and looking at Kanda. "I'll figure that out when I get there." Kanda said. He stood up, picked up his coat from Maia's hands, and began to put it on. "Where's Mugen?" he asked. "On the table, but, what are you doing?" "I'm going to fight Vittorio." he said in an obvious tone. "Fight Vittorio-? What are you talking about? You just woke up!" Maia exclaimed. "So?" Kanda said. "You can't just go now, you don't even have a plan. Why don't you wait a couple more hours or go tomorrow-" Maia began before being interrupted by Kanda. "TOMORROW? Do you think the akuma are gong to sit around and wait for me to feel better instead of taking the Innocence? What kind of stupid suggestion is that?" Kanda yelled. " I was just offering some advice-" she said. "I don't want your advice. I don't need any help or advice from some blonde ditz!" Kanda snapped.

Maia froze, trying to comprehend what he had just said. A blonde WHAT? This was even worse than the Vittorio insult. Chibi Maia swung her nunchucks threateningly, decked out in full ninja gear, as she said, "Oh no, he did _not_ just say that." Eyes flashing angrily, Mai marched over to the table and threw Mugen at Kanda. "Then go! Go! Take your sword and go get injured again, you stubborn bastard! I hope you fucking die this time!" she yelled at him. Kanda stormed out of the cottage and slammed the door behind him. How _dare_ she talk to him that way? He didn't even do anything wrong! Anger fueled his steps as he walked down the road towards the colosseum, determined to defeat Vittorio once and for all.

Maia sat on the floor of the cottage, untangling the spool of thread that Black Star had played with, while loudly complaining to him. Night had fallen, and neither Kanda nor Pedro had returned. Not that she cared, though. "I don't know where he gets his nerve, treating me like that. I dragged his sorry ass all the way over here, held his head in my lap, even repaired his coat for him, and this is the thanks I get? Being yelled at and insulted? Hasn't he ever heard of saying 'thank you?'" The thread that Maia was trying to untangle only got more knotted, and she hurled it across the room in frustration. She put her head in her hands, and took a couple of deep breaths. "It's just…I thought he was my friend." she whispered, remembering how they ate together and how he showed a little concern when he saw her blood-stained ballet shoes. Black Star fluttered next to Maia and gently nuzzled himself against her forehead, trying to comfort her. "Thanks, Black Star." Maia said, grinning wryly as she stroked her golem with one finger.

Suddenly, the door opened, and Pedro walked in. "Hey, Pedro. What's up?" Maia asked, getting up and retrieving the knotted spool of thread. "It's Kanda. I thought it would be better to come here and tell you in person than to tell you through Black Star." "Oh, did the poor thing get injured again?" Maia said in a mock concerned voice, "Well, you can tell him that he can carry himself back here, 'cuz I'll be damned if I help him again-" "It's not looking good." Icy cold fear flooded her veins as she asked in a low tone, "Define 'not looking good.'" Pedro paused, and said, "He received a serious wound while fighting Vittorio, and we're not sure if he's going to live." "Where is he?" Maia demanded. "In the stone cottage with the red roof up the road-" Pedro began as Maia sprinted out the door, with Black Star flying after her.

Maia's shoes pounded her footsteps into the ground as she ran, her path dimly lit by the moon. She felt a stitch form in her side, but she ignored the pain, continuing to sprint towards the cottage. "My fault…it's all my fault," ran through her head. Earlier, she had told Kanda that she wished he would die. If she had never said that, this wouldn't have happened. "That doesn't really make sense." Chibi Maia said. "Well, it does to me!" Maia muttered. The night air stung her eyes, causing them to water up as she wiped at them with her jacket sleeve. Through her thin film of tears, she saw a red roof in a field. She raced over, and leaned against the door, trying to catch her breath. Wrapping her arm around the stitch in her side, she knocked on the door with her free hand. To her surprise, Allen opened the door, a bandage wrapped around his arm. "Maia! We were just-" "Where's Kanda?" "Through that door," Allen said, pointing at a door on the other side of the room, "But he's sleeping." "It doesn't matter, I just have to see him." Maia begged. Allen stepped aside and let her pass, and she saw Lenalee and an elderly woman sitting by a fireplace. "Lenalee! What are you and Allen doing here?" "Headquarters hadn't heard from you and Kanda in a while, so Komui sent us here to investigate." Lenalee said. "Oh, sorry," Maia said, remembering how you had to contact Headquarters if your mission lasted more than two days. "It's just that things got really hectic around here, so I forgot." She turned to the old woman and gave a little curtsy, saying, "Please excuse me, ma'am, I just have to make sure my companion is okay." The woman gave a nod of consent, and Maia walked into Kanda's room.

She shut the door silently behind her, and turned around. The room was dark, it was only illuminated by the moonlight shining through the window. The smell of herbs hung heavily in the air, and it was bare except for a bed and chair. In that bed was Kanda, blood-soaked bandages criss-crossing his chest. He was sleeping, and breathing normally, but he looked pale. Maia walked over to the chair and sat down, biting her bottom lip. What was she supposed to do? Talk to him? Well, she didn't see any better options. "Hi Kanda." She was met with silence. Maia took a deep breath and began again. "I know you can't hear me, 'cuz you're sleeping and all that, but I still wanted to talk. I just wanted to say that…I'm sorry. I'm sorry for saying that I wished you would die, and saying all those other horrible things. I didn't mean any of them, I only said them because you pissed me off. I just-" Maia felt her throat tighten up, and she heard a slight tremor in her voice, "I just don't want you to die." Don't cry, Maia, it's not going to solve anything, she thought to herself.

"You don't have to apologize."

Maia looked up from twisting the hem of her skirt into wrinkles, and saw Kanda looking at her. "Y-you're alive!" she said, amazed that he wasn't comatose (and embarrassed that he had heard her soliloquy). "Why wouldn't I be? You know I can heal fast. Anyway, it's not your fault, Maia. I'm the one who started it, so…" At this point, Kanda paused and took a deep breath, "I'm sorry for calling you a blonde ditz." Maia's mouth fell open slightly in shock. Was he actually _apologizing_ to her? "Although, you did act like a bitch earlier." Ah, _there_ was the normal Kanda! Maia laughed and said, "Kanda, you're such a jerk." Then, she stuck out her hand and looked at him hopefully. "Friends?" A corner of Kanda's mouth lifted into a small smile and he took her hand. "Sure."

A few hours later, after Maia had been told the Vittorio and Princess Sandra story, there was another fight. This time, however, it was between Kanda and Allen, over the issue of Kanda leaving to fight Vittorio. Maia was busy cleaning the akuma blood off of Fanfare, when a crash came from the next room, and Allen and Lenalee ran outside, with Kanda yelling, "Get back here!" at them. She stood up and walked over to the doorway, asking, "What happened?" "Nothing, miss, Allen just had to use a little force to get Kanda to stay here." said Pedro. "That bastard…" Kanda muttered, getting up from the floor and sitting on the bed. "Well, why did he want you to stay here?" she asked. "He wants me to stay here and think instead of fighting." "You know, Kanda, some people would say that your brain is the most powerful weapon of all." If looks could kill, Kanda's glare would have eviscerated Maia. "Okay, I'll just go now." Maia said, leaving the room quickly.

Half an hour later, as Kanda was thinking with his head in his hands, he felt someone sit next to him. He looked up, and saw Maia holding a tree branch with plums on it. "What the hell is that?" he asked. "Plums. They say that they're brain food, so I thought your brain could use a snack by now." "Um…thanks," Kanda said, taking the branch from her, "But why'd you bring the whole branch?" "Well, I tried picking the plums off, but they're attached really tightly to the branch, so they refuse to come off. So, I thought to myself, if I can't get the plum from the branch, I'll just improvise and take the whole thing." Maia said. Kanda froze as her words processed through his head. "That's it." he said, standing up and walking out the door with Mugen. "What's 'it'? Kanda? Kanda, I need details!" Maia whined, running after him.

"Don't you get it? Vittorio can't be defeated because he always carries that sword with him. If I can't take the sword itself, I'll just have to take the whole arm." Kanda explained as they ran to the colosseum. Shouts from Allen and Vittorio rang from the old structure, and upon entering, Maia and Kanda saw Vittorio grab Allen by the hair and prepare to deliver the coup de grace. Before she could do anything, Kanda was running towards them, yelling, "This is what I mean when I say you're too soft, shortstack!" He intercepted the blow and began to fight Vittorio, only to have the Roman swordsman bury his sword into Kanda's shoulder immediately. A scream ripped from Maia's throat before she could stop it, and she ran towards the two. Kanda stopped her with a trembling raised palm and smirked evilly, even though he was covered in blood and had a broadsword sticking out of his shoulder. He raised his sword with a battle cry and sliced Vittorio's arm off, staggering back as he said, "He refused to give up his sword, so I had to improvise." He collapsed to the ground as Vittorio screamed and stumbled back against a wall.

Claudia ran to Vittorio, calling his name over and over again, hoping that he would still live. She watched him age and die before her eyes as he asked her to honor his death by living free, just as Princess Sandra did. When he died, Claudia's heart broke as she realized that the man who had saved her was now gone forever. She cried on Lenalee's shoulder as the pig-tailed girl tried to comfort her, but with little success. Allen, Maia, and Kanda watched on, as Kanda leaned against Maia for support. Allen removed the sword from the samurai's shoulder, and watched as it crumbled away into ash, leaving only a glowing green orb of Innocence to remember the fallen swordsman. "Poor thing." Maia said quietly, hearing the sobs of Claudia. "Why's she crying? He was the one who kidnapped her, she should be happy-" "Oh, shut up, Kanda! Can't you recognize love when you see it?" Maia snapped. "It just doesn't make any sense." "_You_ don't make any sense." Allen heard the pair fighting and smiled. "You two fight like an old married couple." "No, we don't." Maia and Kanda said at the same time, glaring daggers at Allen.

"So, how was your mission?" Komui asked when Kanda and Maia returned to his office with the Innocence. "Meh. Can't complain." Maia said, shrugging nonchalantly. "Che, whatever." Kanda scoffed. As they left his office, Kanda said, "I'm going to my room. Don't you dare bother me until tomorrow." "Why?" Maia asked to his retreating figure. "I need a break from all the annoying blonde I saw this week." Maia was about to yell something back at him, when she saw his ponytail swing gently between his shoulder blades. Maia grinned wickedly as she silently came up behind him, yanked his ponytail, and ran for dear life. She ran through the hallways, laughing, as Kanda chased after her, threatening to hang her with her ballet slippers. She was happy, however, at the knowledge that the two were finally real friends.

**Whoo! I'm back. Well, how did you like it? You liked the fluffy recovery scenes, didn't you? Tell me, don't hold back! Please review, and stay tuned for the next chapter (which will actually be soon, I promise! Maia was lying, I was suffering from finals, along with some laziness). Goodbye, my beautiful public! Thank you to everyone who has reviewed me, Chibi Maia gives you a big hug!**


	6. Sketching in the Rain

**Bonjour, ma cheries! Okay, so this chapter is full of the most adorable fluff ever. Seriously, you fan girls will squee with happiness. Thank you to all the people who reviewed and followed this story. It's people like you who make me so very happy. I do not own -Man, only Maia and my other OC's. Enjoy!**

Rainy days at the Order were always like a mini-vacation, a chance for Exorcists, Finders, and scientists alike to sit back and catch their breath. There was still work to be done, but it was done at a slower, more relaxed pace. The steady beat of the rain against the windows lulled everyone to a calmer state.

Kanda sat cross-legged on the training room floor, meditating. Breathing in and out to the rhythm of the rain on the roof, he tried clearing his mind of all distractions. Distractions like hyperactive rabbits, annoying bean sprouts, and evil blonde girls who pull your hair and run away laughing, laughing with sparkling blue-green eyes so clear and deep you could fall into them, and pretty smiles that made your heart flutter- "Damn it," Kanda muttered angrily, snapping all thoughts of Maia out of his head. "Not again…" Ever since they had returned from Rome, Kanda had been feeling different. At random, his thoughts would turn to Maia and how her hair looked in the sunlight or how she was always smiling. The little things that made her different from everybody else in the Order. And sometimes, in his dreams, the memory of Maia stroking his hair would visualize, and he found himself waking up with a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. Something was changing inside of him, and it was all because of her. And more importantly, Kanda was afraid to name what that change was. Because naming it would make it true, and he feared that the most…

As the old saying goes, "Speak of the devil and he appears." Or, in this case, "think of the devil." While Kanda's thoughts were wrapped around Maia, he felt someone pad silently across the floor and sit down behind him. The smell of cherry blossoms filled the air, and the back of Kanda's neck prickled at the knowledge that he was not alone. "What do you want, Maia?" he asked, not changing his ram-rod straight posture at all. "Noooothing." she said slyly, giving her short hair a little toss so that it brushed against Kanda's ponytail. They sat in silence for a few minutes, their backs inches from each other, the only sound being their quiet, synchronized breathing. Although Kanda's breathing was steady, his heart wasn't. It was beating irregularly at her scent of flowers and the fact that she was so close to him that he could reach behind him and grab her tiny waist with both of his hands.

Then, Maia exhaled impatiently and said, "Alright, I lied, I did want something from you." "Like what?" Kanda muttered, eyes still closed. She crawled over so that she was facing him, and tapped him on the nose. "Hey, wake up!" He opened them and said, "I'm listening." Maia rolled her eyes and said, "Okay, I need you to model for me." "What? Are you joking?" "No. Look, I don't have anything else to do today, and I wanted to practice my drawing. I haven't worked on people in a while, so I need a model who can sit still for an hour or two. I've already drawn Lenalee, and Lavi and Allen can't sit still for 5 minutes, which leaves you." Kanda began to protest, but Maia interrupted him. "Before you say no, Lavi and Allen are planning on kidnapping you and giving you a makeover, so it would be wiser to be in a place where they won't find you, which is why you should come with me."

Kanda pondered over this. He could probably take on both of them, but at the same time, he didn't want to deal with their annoying asses. He saw the hopeful, pleading look on Maia's face, like a puppy begging for a treat. He sighed, and said, "Alright. But I'm only doing this because I don't want to deal with those two." "Thank you!" she squealed merrily, giving him a quick hug, "I know the perfect place where I can draw you. Come on!" She skipped out of the training room, followed by Kanda, who was still trying to wrap his head around the hug.

They made their way up to the top floor of the Black Order, to an abandoned room all the way at the end of the empty hall. "You sure no one will bother us here?" Kanda asked, leaning against the wall and making sure that no one had followed them. "Trust me," Maia said, prying the lock open with a bent paper clip, "Nobody comes up here. This area is used to store records from a million years ago that nobody cares about. Plus, the doors lock automatically from the outside, so a person couldn't get in if they just wandered up here." The lock clicked open, and Maia lightly pushed the door open. It was a decent-sized room, empty except for a few dusty boxes and a telescope folded up in a corner. "How did you find this room?" Kanda inquired, walking in with Maia and glancing around with disinterest at the bare furnishings. "I tend to stay up really late sometimes, so I go exploring around the Order. That, and I have an insatiable curiosity." She walked to the center of the room and started looking around. "Hmm. Where do I want you?" she murmured, trying to find the best place to sketch Kanda, "Ah! Here we go!" She ran to the window seat at the other end of the room, knelt on the floor, and began pulling her sketch pad and pencil out of her bag. "Come on," she said, patting the cushioned seat. Kanda walked over and sati with one leg on the seat and the other on the floor. He crossed his arms over his chest and looked out the water-streaked window at the view below of trees and far away rooftops.

"Hey, scootch your leg over." Kanda looked away from the window and saw Maia perched at the other end of the window seat, so close that she could lean over and touch him without difficulty. She put her hand on his boot, pushing his leg so his knee was near his chest, and she swung her legs up on the seat, forming a flat surface with her thighs to rest her sketchbook on. Luckily, she was wearing shorts that day. "What are you doing?" Kanda asked, his heart hammering again at Maia's close proximity to him. "Drawing you." "This close? There's barely enough room for us." "This seat is the only place with enough light for me to draw you. And there's plenty of room for two people, so stop whining!" "Che." Kanda grumbled, looking out the window again. As long as he could pretend that Maia wasn't there, he could endure a couple measly hours. He wouldn't need to talk to her, just sit and leave when she was done with him. It was kind of hard to ignore her presence, though, when he could smell her cherry blossom perfume and hear her drawing and still feel her thin arms giving him a hug- "Kanda, stop contorting your face like that, you're messing up my sketch." she said. "Sorry," he muttered, realizing that he had been contorting his face in anger while trying to block his thoughts of her. They sat in silence, the quiet sound of Maia's pencil scratching over the paper an accompaniment to the rain beating against the windows. Kanda was finding it harder and harder to keep his eyes open, as the combined sounds were lulling him to sleep. He felt his eyes droop shut for a minute, then a sharp clap started him from his slumber. "Hey! No sleeping!" Maia said, laughing at the startled expression on his face. "Well, what the hell do you expect? I'm just sitting here." Maia thought for a moment. "Want me to tell you a story?" "Whatever." Kanda muttered, shrugging his shoulders.

"Mear woke up one morning in the jacuzzi warmth of his underwater sea cave. He was shocked to discover that he was turning into a shooting star. 'Mother!' he yelled, sticking his head out of his window, 'I'm transforming!' His 1000 year old mother, Clarisse, was combing out her long, crimson hair while sitting in her nest in a coral tree. 'Oh no, not again,' she whispered, diamond tears spilling from her obsidian eyes, 'It's because you didn't kiss that manatee.' Her 12-inch long, tapered fingers caressed her son's pale green face. 'We must take you to-'" "What the fuck are you talking about?" Kanda interrupted. "I'm telling a story." Maia said, looking up from her sketch. "That's not a story, that's an acid trip." "Well, do _you_ have any requests?" Maia asked in an annoyed tone, offended that he didn't appreciate her creativity and imagination. "Tell me about…" Kanda began, thinking. He didn't really know any stories. He detested fairy tales and anything that began with the words "Once upon a time…" "Owboutyou?" he murmured very quickly and quietly. "I'm sorry? I didn't catch that." she asked, wondering what he had just said. "How about you? Why don't you tell me about yourself." Kanda said. He didn't know what had possessed him to ask about her, he honestly couldn't give a damn about her, except…

Except that sometimes, when he saw her, she had this look in her eyes. A faraway look, like she was staring at something in the distance that only she could see. And when something distracted her, the look instantly disappeared and was replaced with her normal sparkling gaze. And in that tiny corner of his heart, where he actually had feelings, this bothered him. What had happened to her?

Maia looked at him in surprise. "Kanda, you never cease to amaze me. First, you show concern for me, then you apologize to me for hurting my feelings, and now you want to hear about my past! What's next, a marriage proposal?" " Just shut up and tell the damn story, or I'm walking out of here." Kanda snapped at her.

"Once upon a time, my earliest memory was waking up to a red sky and General Tsing looking at me. I was nine years old, and I only knew my first name and age. Even though she questioned me about who my parents were or where I was from, I never had an answer. Up until that point, I had no memories about my past. All I had was that vague information and my fans, and I don't even know where those came from. It's like I was just dropped onto Earth.

Then the General explained to me what Innocence and akuma were, and that I was an accommodator of Innocence. She took out an orb of Innocence from her coat and gave it to me. I had never seen anything so beautiful, and it felt so nice in my hand, like it was happy to finally see me. It leaped from my hand onto my fans and soaked into them, turning them into the weapon I now have. From that moment on, my life had begun.

I spent the next six years training with the General. She was an amazing teacher. She taught me to utilize my natural skills as a dancer to aid my fighting, and that's how I developed my fighting style. She also taught me how to fend for myself, and to never be scared. A few months after she found me, the General found another accommodator. Tsukiko Benetton. She lived in an orphanage in Japan, and was my age. She trained with me, and we became friends. The year after that was the memorable Christmas when my hair turned blonde." "You mean you dyed it?" Kanda interrupted. He always thought that that was her natural color. "No, I mean that I woke up, went over to the mirror in my room, and saw that my hair had turned blonde overnight. Originally, it was a dark auburn color." "How is that possible?" he asked. Maia shrugged. "I don't know. I had had a nightmare before I woke up, so we reasoned that my hair might have turned that way because of shock, but it still doesn't fully explain that, since I'd had nightmares before and my hair never turned any paler. That was also when I decided to cut my hair. It used to be much longer, but it annoyed the hell out of me when I was training, so I just cut it off when my hair turned blonde." Maia paused and looked up from her drawing. "Speaking of which, how come your hair doesn't bother you?" "It just doesn't." Kanda muttered, shrugging. "You have very nice hair, you know that?" she said, "Anyway, back to my story. I lived in Japan for the next six years, until the day came when General Tsing told me and Tsukiko that we could both call ourselves Exorcists. That was about three months ago." "Then why didn't you come sooner?" Kanda wondered, since Maia had only been at the Order for two months. Her pencil scratching slowed down, and the room got quieter.

"A year ago, the General found out that she had leukemia. She was dying, and it was getting harder and harder for her to take care of herself. When she told me and Tsukiko that we could call ourselves Exorcists and join the Black Order, I offered to stay with her until she passed away, which she did a month later. So, that's why I came here later." Kanda hadn't expected that. He had thought that maybe she had gotten distracted somewhere while traveling, and was delayed. "Why didn't you join the Asia Branch? Why travel all the way over here?" Maia gave a little laugh. "It was the General's idea. She requested that I stay here, because she wanted me to get a break from Tsukiko, since she was the only Exorcist I'd been with since I was nine. Plus, she thought I could use a new location." She looked up at Kanda, smiling. "Well, that's my story. I'm almost done with your drawing, I just need to add a few more details. Anymore questions, my curious young grasshopper?" Kanda rolled his eyes, and thought of something that had struck him as odd when she had been talking to him. "You said you were in training for six years. Why so long?" he asked. "Well, I had to go to school." she answered, running her pencil lightly over the paper to shade in the details. "School?" "Yeah, Kanda, that's where children go if they want to get an education." "I know that, idiot." he retorted. "Well, didn't you go to school?" she asked. "No. Tiedoll taught me the basics, like reading and writing, but I spent my time actually training." "For how long?" "A year." he said.

"A YEAR?" Maia exclaimed, "Christ, how old were you?" "I was 11 when I could call myself an Exorcist." "Unbelievable," she said, shaking her head slightly, "When I was 11, I was learning how to multiply fractions and how to do a triple pirouette." "Che, it was nothing." Kanda muttered.

A few minutes passed, then Maia threw done her pencil and said, "Done!" She handed the sketchbook to Kanda and said, "Well? What do you think?" The drawing was Kanda sitting on the window seat, looking out the window. But it was an exact likeness. It didn't look like some amateurish pencil sketch, it looked exactly like him. She had managed to capture every single detail, from the wrinkles in his shirt to his bangs falling over his eyes. At the bottom of the page was Maia's signature, a loopy scrawl with a tiny heart dotting the "i" in her name. "It looks just like me," he said, looking at his penciled features. "Well, that's the point, silly, it's a portrait!" Maia giggled, taking the sketchbook back and ripping out the page. "Here. Happy Unbirthday." She saw something sticking out of the sketchbook, and took it out. "Well, what do you know. I was wondering where this had gone!" It was a photograph, which she handed to Kanda. "Here. That was me and Tsukiko when we were 13 at the Panic! At the Disco concert in Tokyo."

The photograph showed Maia and her friend standing with their arms around each other, smiling. Maia looked the same as she did now, except a little younger. She was wearing a white lacey dress and a flower in her hair. Tsukiko was wearing sunglasses, a ribbon headband, cut-off booty shorts and a yellow cropped top. Where Maia was tiny and petite, Tsukiko was taller and had a more curvy figure, with long black hair tumbling down her back. "Why is she dressed like a slut?" Kanda asked blatantly. "Because she's a little skank. But she's my little skank." Maia said fondly, taking back the photo. "Well, Kanda, I'm done with you for today. Thank you very much for modeling for me, you saved me a lot of boredom today."

As they both stood up and walked to the door, Maia's pencil fell out of her hand and onto the floor. "Shoot." Maia muttered as she bent down to pick it up. Kanda bent down to pick it up as well, causing their hands to briefly touch. Maia gasped as a pleasant shock went through her body with the sensation of Kanda's hand meeting hers. She looked up to find Kanda staring at her, a strange expression in his eyes. He had felt the same thing, and he was wondering if she could hear how loudly his heart was beating. Maia felt a blush creep onto her face as she grabbed her pencil and quickly walked out of the room, muttering a "See you later," at Kanda as he said, "Sorry," and walked out as well. They both went their opposite ways, Maia hugging her sketchbook to her chest as her face still felt on fire. Her heart was hammering as well with the shock of their hands touching. What had happened? And why did Kanda have that look in his eyes? Could he possibly…No, that was impossible. Kanda wouldn't have feelings like that. It was probably just a static spark that had happened, that's all. But how to explain that funny feeling she had as she stared into his dark cobalt eyes, that feeling of falling and never wanting to stop? Why was she falling into _Kanda's_ eyes, and more importantly, would she ever be able to stop?

**Yay! Another chapter done! Will these new feelings ever reveal themselves? STAY TUNED TO FIND OUT! Also, a note on the age thing. It doesn't say how old Kanda was when he became an Exorcist, but I read that he was 10 when Tiedoll took him on as his apprentice, and returned to the Order a year later, so I assume that he became an Exorcist then. Please be nice and review!**


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